Edie Ames Sells 3,000 Shares of Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Edie Ames sold 3,000 shares of Cheesecake Factory stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.95, for a total transaction of $320,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,069,500. This represents a 23.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Down 4.6%

CAKE opened at $111.88 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.32, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $85.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.36. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a twelve month low of $43.07 and a twelve month high of $118.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $999.54 million. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 43.97%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.16 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheesecake Factory Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio is 32.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Cheesecake Factory from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Cheesecake Factory from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $58.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Cheesecake Factory from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Cheesecake Factory from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $50.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $81.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CAKE. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 226.5% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 604 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 661.7% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 716 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the period. NFSG Corp increased its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 115.8% in the first quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 682 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 973.2% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 880 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. 94.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Cheesecake Factory News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheesecake Factory this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings expectations: Zacks Research raised its EPS forecasts across several periods, including FY2026 to $4.36 from $3.87, FY2027 to $4.64 from $4.24 and FY2028 to $5.29 from $4.82. Zacks maintained a “Strong Buy” rating, suggesting analysts see continued operating momentum. Zacks Research earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong second-quarter performance remains supportive: CAKE recently reported $1.03 billion in revenue and $1.44 in EPS, exceeding estimates of $999.54 million and $1.18, respectively. Revenue increased 7.7% year over year, while comparable sales, traffic and restaurant-level margins also improved. The company declared a $0.30 quarterly dividend and continued share repurchases. Strong Cheesecake Factory second-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: CAKE was named to PEOPLE’s 2026 Companies That Care list for the sixth consecutive year. The recognition may benefit employee retention and brand reputation, but it is unlikely to have a material near-term earnings impact. Companies That Care recognition
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a prominent concern: President David Gordon sold 31,950 shares for about $3.5 million, reducing his direct holdings by 54.31%. Director Edie Ames also sold 3,000 shares for approximately $320,850. Reports indicate CAKE insiders have made numerous sales and no open-market purchases in the past six months, potentially signaling profit-taking after the stock’s sharp advance. Cheesecake Factory insider transactions
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and analyst caution may limit upside: The stock trades at roughly 30 times earnings, while the reported consensus rating is “Hold” with an average price target of $81. That target is substantially below recent trading levels, increasing the risk of profit-taking despite improving fundamentals.

Cheesecake Factory Company Profile

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) is an American restaurant company and distributor renowned for its full-service casual-dining concept and specialty cheesecakes. Headquartered in Calabasas Hills, California, the company operates more than 200 restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory® brand across the United States, Puerto Rico and select international markets. In addition to sit-down dining, Cheesecake Factory franchised locations offer catering and take-out services, while a separate manufacturing arm supplies branded cheesecakes and desserts to supermarkets, hotels and other foodservice operators.

The origins of the brand trace back to a small cheesecake bakery founded in Detroit in the 1940s.